A New Understanding of the First-Person and Third-Person Perspectives. (2nd September 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Choifer, Alla
• Is Part Of: Philosophical papers. Volume 47:Number 3(2018)
• Page Start: 333
• Page End: 371
• Publication Date: 2018-09-02
• Subjects: Philosophy -- Periodicals; Philosophy, African -- Periodicals; 105
• DOI: 10.1080/05568641.2018.1450160
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0556-8641

Abstract

Abstract: Characterizing the first- and third-person perspectives is essential to the study of consciousness, yet we lack a rigorous definition of or criteria for these two perspectives. Our intuitive understanding of how personal pronouns help to specify the perspectives gives rise to mutually exclusive notions of the first-person perspective. This contradiction thwarts our progress in studying consciousness. We can resolve the current ambiguity of the first-person perspective by introducing a new distinction between the first-person and third-person perspectives, based on two modes of consciousness: reflective and non-reflective. The purpose of this paper is to explain this new proposal, to elucidate the grounds for it, and to briefly suggest benefits from its use.